Methods of making ground containment liners

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides methods of making containment liners to protect the environment from spills and leaks at oil and/or gas production sites and other sites. The containment liners comprise a first felt geotextile layer and a polymeric barrier layer embedded partially into the felt geotextile layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/404,992filed Feb. 24, 2012, which claims the benefit of both U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/446,247 filed Feb. 24, 2011 and U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/555,523 filed Nov. 4, 2011,all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to ground liners useful for thecontainment of waste water and other potential contaminants at oil andgas well sites, and other locations.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Efforts have been made to contain various types of contaminants at oiland gas well sites. For example, at non-conventional shale gas drillingsites, there are large quantities of fuel, drilling mud, fracturingchemicals, corrosives and flowback water. Spills of any of these liquidsmust be reported to regulatory agencies, and the contaminated soil andwater must be remediated. To reduce the amount of contaminated soil andwater and to eliminate regulatory fines, many operating companiesexcavate the site, cover it with stone or crushed rock, place ageotextile over the crushed rock, and then loosely place a geomembraneover the surface. For non-conventional shale gas drilling sites, thepreferred geotextile is an 8 to 10 oz/yd² needlepunched polypropylenefelt and the geomembrane is a 20 to 60 mil thick high densitypolyethylene (HDPE). The geotextile protects the geomembrane from sharpedges in the stone or crushed rock base. The felt is either sewn or heattacked together with a hot air tool. The geomembrane is then placed overthe geotextile and welded together with a hot wedge welder, a hot airtool or an extrusion fillet welder.

Once the layers are installed at the well site, the geomembrane ispulled over earthen berms, railroad ties or corrugated pipe to formcontainment walls around the perimeter. The geomembrane then containsthe leaks and spills for subsequent removal, e.g., until an on-sitevacuum truck can remove them without impact to the environment.

There are issues with the current configurations. Traditional HDPEgeomembranes for ponds and pits were not designed for foot and vehicletraffic. HPDE geomembranes are prone to punctures, e.g., from droppedhoses, vehicles and equipment movement. The geomembranes are alsoextremely slippery to work on, even with a textured surface. Frictiontreatment of geomembrane or geotextile surfaces to prevent slippage isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,056,960 and 5,137,393, respectively.

To increase traction in standing water, snow and ice, some operatingcompanies now place, but do not bond, an additional layer of ageotextile over the HDPE geomembrane to reduce slip hazards. Forexample, an 8 to 10 oz/yd² needlepunched polypropylene felt may be usedfor this purpose. While the geotextile improves traction on the topwalking surface, it has disadvantages. The geotextile slides around onthe geomembrane, producing a slip hazard. Geotextiles can bunch and canbe pulled into vacuum hoses while removing liquids from the surface.Geotextiles can also absorb a considerable amount of fluid that then canfreeze, negating any increased traction. Loose geotextiles can maskpunctures in the geomembrane beneath it, which may only be discoveredafter a spill or leak. Furthermore, the geotextiles complicate theinstallation of grounding rods through the geomembrane, since thegeotextiles need to be cut away so the geomembrane can be sealed to thegrounding rod.

A polymer sheet that has geotextiles laminated on both sides isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,134 for use in ponds, landfills andhazardous and non-hazardous waste disposal. The covers and barriers aredesigned to provide primary containment, but not to withstand footand/or vehicle traffic. Because this laminate is not subject to abrasionand/or shear forces, the three separate continuous layers can be joinedtogether by tie layers or with adhesive. While this laminate protectsthe geomembrane from punctures on both sides, tie layers and adhesivesare not adequate to prevent delamination under heavy vehicle traffic,such as cranes, frac tanks and track hoes at gas drilling pads. Oncedelaminated, the layers can move around and result in the same issues asthe loose laid geotextiles. The continuous polymer sheet also leads tothick, stepped seams, which can be a tripping hazard.

The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides containment liners to protect theenvironment from spills and leaks, for example, at oil and/or gasproduction sites such as drilling sites and surrounding areas.

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a containment linercomprising a first felt geotextile layer, a second felt geotextile layercovering at least a portion of the first felt geotextile layer, and atleast one polymeric barrier layer between the first and second feltgeotextile layers, wherein the at least one polymeric barrier layer isembedded into at least one of the first and second felt geotextilelayers.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a containmentliner comprising a felt geotextile layer, and a polymeric barrier layerembedded into the felt geotextile layer, wherein the felt geotextilelayer comprises a heat treated surface on a side of the felt geotextilelayer opposite from the polymeric barrier layer.

A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a method ofmaking a containment liner comprising providing at least one feltgeotextile layer, and extruding a polymeric barrier layer materialadjacent to the at least one felt geotextile layer to thereby embed atleast a portion of the polymeric barrier layer material into the atleast one felt geotextile layer.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparentfrom the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially schematic side sectional view of a containmentliner in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially schematic side sectional view of a containmentliner in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially schematic side sectional view of a containmentliner in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partially schematic side sectional view of a containmentliner in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially schematic side sectional view of a containmentliner in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partially schematic side sectional view of a containmentliner in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partially schematic exploded side view illustrating variouslayers of a containment liner in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of a portion of one of the layers shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 8 illustrates a section of a containment liner and berm inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is illustrates a section of a containment liner and berm inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partially schematic plan view of a containment linercomprising side berms and central openings or cellars to accommodatedrilling equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is a partially schematic isometric view of a roll of containmentliner sheet material in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a partially schematic side view illustrating a seam betweenadjacent containment liner sections in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 13 is a partially schematic side view illustrating a seam betweenadjacent containment liner sections in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a partially schematic side view illustrating a seam betweenadjacent containment liner sections in accordance with a furtherembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides a containment liner thatprovides an all-weather work surface for various sites. The containmentliner may comprise an integrated composite including at least onepolymeric barrier layer embedded into and between outer layers of apuncture-resistant felt base, and a slip-resistant work surface feltthat is also resistant to puncture and abrasion. In accordance with thepresent invention, the term “embedded”, when referring to the polymericbarrier layers, means that at least a portion of the polymeric materialof the barrier layer flows into and impregnates the adjacent felt layersuch that voids between the felt fibers are at least partially filledwith the polyermic barrier material. In certain embodiments, one of thelongitudinal edges of the containment liner composite is not covered bythe base felt layer and the opposite longitudinal edge is not covered bythe surface felt layer in order to form felt-free offsets for thermaljoining of contiguous sections of the composite liners.

FIGS. 1-6 schematically illustrate containment liners in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,a containment liner 1 includes two felt geotextile layers 10, each ofwhich comprises an interior felt material section 11, a heat treatedouter surface 12 and an impregnated region 13 comprising polymericbarrier layer material embedded in the felt material. The containmentliner 1 comprises two polymeric barrier layers 15. A portion of eachpolymeric barrier layer 15 is embedded in an adjacent felt geotextilelayer 10 to form a region 14 comprising the embedded portion 13 of thepolymeric barrier layer material and a non-embedded portion 15 of thepolymer barrier layer material. The felt geotextile layers 10 are offsetwith respect to each other to form a seam bonding surface 20 comprisingexposed surfaces of the polymer barrier layers 15.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the containment liner 2 is similar tothe embodiment shown in FIG. 1, with the addition of an intermediatelayer 30 positioned between the embedded regions 14 of the feltgeotextile layers 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, one of theoffset edges 20 comprises an exposed surface of the polymeric barrierlayer 15, while the other offset edge 20 comprises an exposed surface ofthe intermediate layer 30.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the containment liner 3 is similar tothe embodiment shown in FIG. 2, except the lower felt geotextile layer110 is of greater thickness than the upper felt geotextile layer 10.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the containment liner 4 is similar tothe embodiment shown in FIG. 2, with the addition of a separate looselaid puncture-resistant layer 36 below the containment liner 4. Thepuncture-resistant layer 36 may be any suitable material such as aneedlepunched material that may be placed over an aggregate base (notshown) prior to installation of the containment liner 4.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the containment liner 5 comprises asingle felt geotextile layer 10 and single polymeric barrier layer issecured to an intermediate layer 30. In this embodiment, the containmentliner 5 may be installed over a loose laid puncture-resistant layer 36.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the containment liner 6 comprises asingle felt geotextile layer 10 and a single polymeric barrier layer 15is secured to an intermediate layer 30. In this embodiment, thecontainment liner 6 may be installed in a desired area first, followedby installation of the separate puncture-resistant layer 36.

The felt layers 11 may comprise fibers such as natural fibers, e.g.,wool, hemp, coconut and jute, or synthetic fibers, e.g., polyester,polypropylene, nylon, rayon, polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), aromaticpolyamide aramid (Nomex) and poly para-phenyleneterephthalamide(Kevlar). The felt layers 11 may also comprise a blend of such naturaland synthetic fibers. The felts layers 11 may be produced by pressed,needled, fleeced, and other nonwoven and woven techniques. Wovenreinforced felts may be used. The fibers of the felt may be bondedtogether by various types of polymeric resins. A preferred material isneedlepunched felt because of its abrasion and puncture resistance. Incertain embodiments, the felt may be treated with an antistatic agentand/or may contain conductive fibers to reduce the risk of a spark inflammable environments.

In certain embodiments, a surface of each felt layer 11 may be heattreated to provide the heat treated outer surfaces 12 illustrated inFIGS. 1-6. Heat treatment may be accomplished by infrared radiation, hotcalendaring or any other suitable heat source. Typical temperatureranges for the heat treatment are from 110 to 175° C. The felt layers 11may have a low-heat set side and a high-heat set side, or, as with thenatural fibers, may be surface stabilized with an adhesive. The low-heatset side provides bonding depth and an entanglement area for theadjacent polymeric barrier layer. The high-heat set side provides animproved abrasion-resistant surface to protect the entanglement area.This reduces the amount of scuffing and pilling during use.

The use of polymeric barrier layers 15 embedded in felt layers 11 inaccordance with the present invention avoids problems associated withconventional bonded layers. Adhesives tend to have limited tolerance tolow and high temperatures, as well as compatibility with hydrocarbonsand corrosives that may be present at drilling, fracturing andcompletion sites. This leads to delamination in the field under shearforces. Tie layers, which adhere dissimilar materials together, aretypically 0.2 mil to 1 mil thick. This results in limited surfacecontact with the felt, yielding low mechanical interlock, which leads todelamination in the field under shear forces. The embedded barrierlayers of the present invention eliminate the need for adhesives or tielayers.

The embedded polymeric barrier layers 15 of the present invention maycomprise hydrocarbon and acid-resistant extruded plastic resins, such aspolypropylene (PP), thermoplastic olefins (TPOs), linear low-densitypolyethylene (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), medium-densitypolyethylene (MDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyvinylchloride (PVC), nylon, polystyrene, polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate(EVA), styrene block copolymers (SBC) such as styrene-isoprene-styrene(SIS), styrene-isobutylene-styrene (SIBS), styrene isoprene polymer(SIP), styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) and the like.

The intermediate layers 30 as shown in FIGS. 2-6 may comprise similarpolymeric layers as the polymeric barrier layers 15. In certainembodiments as shown in FIGS. 7 and 7A, the intermediate layer 30 maycomprise multiple layers 31, 32 and 33, which may be the same ordifferent from each other. In one embodiment, the upper layer 31 may bea thermoplastic polyolefin, while the middle layer 32 and lower layer 33may be polypropylene. At least one of the layers 31, 32 and 33 maycomprise reinforcements, such as fibers, strings, scrim cloth or thelike.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, polymericbarrier layer resins are extruded directly into a side of the felt, forexample, a low-heat set side of the felt. This provides an embeddedmechanical interlock and eliminates the need for adhesives. In certainembodiments, the extruded resin barrier layers 15 may be at least 2 or 3mils thick and can be as thick as 30, 60 or 100 mils or more. Thebarrier layers 15 extend into the adjacent felt layers 11 a distance ofat least 1 or 2 mils, typically at least 3 mils. Thus, the embeddedportion 13 of the polymeric barrier material as shown in FIGS. 1-6 mayhave a typical thickness of from 3 to 30 mils. The interlocking in theembedded portion 13 creates a strong cohesive bond that does not pullapart.

To prevent a slippery surface, the embedded polymeric barrier layermaterial should not extend through the entire thickness of felt. Forexample, extruding 5 mils of a polypropylene barrier layer into a 3oz/yd² felt may result in bleed through of the barrier layer onto theexposed surface of the felt. Bleed through may also make the compositeless tear and abrasion resistant. For example, in an 8 oz/yd²needlepunch fabric, the barrier layer resin may be embedded 10 to 80percent into the thickness of the needlepunch, typically from 15 to 50percent. Since the felt layers 11 and the barrier layers 15 are fusedtogether, slippage between the layers is avoided and the composite issafer to walk on. Additionally, the composite can be treated on site,e.g., with brine solutions to prevent the formation of slippery iceduring cold weather and, since there are no voids between the barrierlayer and the felt, the brine stays on the felt layer where it is mosteffective.

In accordance with the present invention, the resin of the barrier layermay be matched to a resin contained in the felt. The matched resins donot require tie layers to achieve adequate bond, which eliminates weakadhesion transition zones that can lead to delamination. Furthermore,the matched resins provide similar resin types for recycling purposes.For example, gas drilling pad liners are installed for short durations,typically one week to one year. Without a means of recycling the largecovered area, significant amounts of liner are disposed of in landfills.Needlepunched polypropylene felt provides good chemical and punctureresistance in a recyclable resin. By using polypropylene-based resins inthe barrier layer, the composite can be pressure washed or elutriated toremove dirt and grime, and then recycled in its entirety aspolypropylene. Current liners that use dissimilar resin types in thegeomembrane and the geotextile need to have the layers physicallyseparated as not to contaminate the recycle streams. Also, lighterbarrier films (e.g., 10 mils) used in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention produce less material to landfill if the material isnot recycled.

The polymeric barrier layers 15 may include modified resins in portionsof the layers that may not significantly impact recyclability but mayimprove overall performance. For example, rubber modified resins, suchas rubberized thermoplastic olefin (r-TPO) and impact-copolymerpolypropylene, may be added to the polymeric barrier layer to provideimproved cold crack resistance over straight polypropylene resins. Inone embodiment, such resins are not provided on the top surface of thepolymeric barrier layer due to decreased chemical resistance tohydrocarbons, such as gasoline and diesel fuel.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the composite containmentliners are capable of being seamed together in the field to coverrelatively large areas. Otherwise, a single sheet of material would beextremely heavy to position, especially when wet. For example,non-conventional drilling sites utilizing a fracturing step tend torange in size from 150×150 feet to over 400×400 feet. The containmentliners may also be pieced and seamed together around well bore cellarsand other structures.

Typical seam sealing techniques include hot air and hot wedgelamination. Since thermally welded felt-to-felt seams are not liquidtight without using a sealant, or without using an extremely slow wedgewelding speed, the composite containment liners may be seamed by fusingtogether the embedded polymeric barrier film layers 15 on adjacentsections. A composite containment liner with an embedded polymericbarrier layer exposed on the top side 20 of one longitudinal edge and onthe bottom side 20 of the opposite edge may be used. Thus, side-by-sidesections of the composite containment liners can be seamed togetherusing, e.g., a half lap joint to form a liquid-tight seal that hasminimal raised or loose edges. Low-profile seams mitigate tripping, andreduce the probability of the seam being snagged and pulled open bytraffic and equipment movement.

Thermal seam sealing equipment typically has a sealing or fusion widthof 1.5 to 3 inches. Narrow offsets provide for very little room forerror during the seaming process. Conversely on wide offsets, if theseaming process is not carried out close to the exposed edge of theoffset, it can result in an unfused flap that can be caught by movingequipment. The offset distance D may be from 1 to 6 inches, typicallyfrom 2 to 3 inches.

The containment liners of the present invention may be made by extrusionprocesses that embed the polymeric barrier layers 15 into the feltlayers 11. An embodiment of the present invention provides a twoextrusion die process, such a tandem coating line or a two-passoperation. The dies can provide monolayer or coextruded films. If acoextrusion die is used, a modified resin may be used in the centerlayer. Alternatively, the composite may be made in a single pass with asingle die. However, by extruding a polymeric barrier layer into eachfelt layer separately, it is unlikely that any pinholes in one layerwould align with any pinholes in other layers through the composite. Inan alternative embodiment, an additional separate film can also bethermally fused to the embedded polymeric barrier layer in an extrusionnip. This film can contain the modified resins. It may also containtints or pigments to designate which side of the composite contains theadditional film.

The combined felt layer and embedded polymeric barrier layer, with orwithout a thermally fused film that matches the width, can be laminatedtogether with offsets in a number of ways. For example, the low-heat setside of a first felt layer can be coated with a first polymeric barrierlayer in an extrusion nip. The coated material then passes into a secondextrusion nip where the low-heat set side of a second felt layer ofapproximately the same width is also coated with a second polymericbarrier layer. The two coated felts may be offset from each other by 1to 12 inches and, with the polymeric barrier layers facing each other,may be pressed together while the second extruded barrier layer is stillmolten. In another embodiment, the polymeric barrier layers may beembedded into the felts in separate operations and then joined togetherin an extrusion nip or by heating the embedded film surfaces andpressing together. Finished roll edges may be trimmed to 1 to 6 inchoffset width, preferably 2 to 3 inch for ease of seaming in the field.

If a separate heat fused intermediate layer is incorporated, it may belimited to the width of the felt in the first extruder of a tandem lineor in the first step of the two-pass operation. Extending this film pastthe felt to provide an offset for the second extruder to cast upon mayresult in poor adhesion of the separate heat fused film to the secondembedded barrier film of the second felt layer in this offset area. Thisis due to the reduced thickness of the offset, which results in a lowpressure area in the nip rollers. Since heat, pressure and dwell timeare critical to fuse the layers together without adhesive, such alow-pressure area can result in unwanted delamination in the field. Aseparate film may thus be limited to one of the sealing offsets unless acontoured nip system is used.

FIG. 8 illustrates a section of a containment liner 40 wrapped around apipe 46 to form a berm. An edge 45 of the containment liner is securedto the remainder of the containment liner 40 by any suitable method suchas heat bonding. The pipe 46 may be smooth or corrugated, or could bereplaced with a solid material such as a railroad tie or a plasticbarrier. Stakes 50 including upper hooks 52 may be used to keep the bermfrom shifting. The upper portion of each stake 50 provides an area todrive the stake 50 into the ground, e.g., by a hammer drill.

FIG. 9 illustrates a section of a containment liner 40 including a berm60 wrapped in the composite liner 40. An additional strip of linermaterial 47 may optionally be positioned below the berm 60 and may bebonded to the underside of the containment liner 40 by any suitablemeans such as heat bonding. An optional tethering rod or rope 65extending along the length of the berm 60 may be used to stake the berminto the ground to prevent movement thereof. In the embodiment shown,the berm 60 has a rectangular cross section, however, any other suitableshape such as triangular or crowned may be used. The berm 60 may be madeof solid or hollow material such as plastic, foam, wood or the like.

FIG. 10 illustrates a containment liner 40 comprising side berms 72 and74, and central openings or cellars 70 configured to accommodatedrilling equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The berms 72 and 74 may be of similar or differentconstruction. For example, the side berm 72 may be relatively hard,while the side berm 74 may be relatively soft or elastic to enablevehicular traffic or other equipment to enter onto the containment liner40.

FIG. 11 illustrates a roll 48 of containment liner sheet material 40 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The containmentliner 40 includes offset edges 20 for sealing adjacent liner sectionstogether, as described above. In accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention, the roll 48 may be used to install multiple sectionsof the containment liner 40 over a desired area. A desired length of thecontainment liner 40 may be rolled out across a portion of the site andcut to length. Then the same roll 48, or a different roll, may be usedto roll out another section of the containment liner 40 next to thefirst section, and so on until the entire area is covered. The adjacentsections of containment liner 40 may then be sealed together, asdescribed above.

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate embodiments of various joints for sealingadjacent sections of containment liners 40 together. In FIG. 12, theseal S comprises a full lap joint 41 between the lower surface of onecontainment liner section 40 and the upper surface of anothercontainment liner section 40. In FIG. 13, the seal S comprises a halflap joint 42 that provides a low profile. The edges of the containmentliner sections 40 have offsets similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 1-6which fit together to provide a half lap joint 42. In FIG. 14, the sealS is similar to the half lap joint illustrated in FIG. 13, however, inaddition to a central half lap joint 43, the seal S of FIG. 14 includesside joints 44 that provide additional seam strength. Such a modifiedhalf lap joint 43, 44 minimizes the joint height and increases seamflexibility as compared to a full lap joint as shown in FIG. 12, whileincreasing seam strength as compared to a half lap joint as shown inFIG. 13. The modified half lap joint 43, 44 may have about 0.25 to 0.5inch of the sealing offset 44 extending beyond the typical sealing area43 of a half lap joint. It extends onto the outer surface of the linerwhere it is bonded to create a stronger seam. The extended portion 44 ofthe modified half lap joint may be present on one or both surfaces ofthe liner. If present on both surfaces, it may be optional to bond onlyone of the extended portions to the felt.

The following example illustrates various aspects of the presentinvention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Example

Three variations of containment liners were made with varyingthicknesses of polymeric barrier layers of 10 mil, 20 mil and 30 mil. Alayer of needlepunched polypropylene felt having a density of 8 oz/yd²was coated with HDPE using an extruder having multiple die holes throughwhich the molten HDPE passed. After the extruded HDPE was applied to thesurface of the felt, another layer of similar needlepunchedpolypropylene felt was placed on the molten HDPE coating and the layerswere passed through a chilled roll nip. Testing was conducted inaccordance with the standardized ASTM test procedures listed in Table 1below. The measured physical properties are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Containment Liner Physical Properties Polymeric TensileProperties (Max Average Barrier Strength) ASTM D 6693/ Puncture AverageTear Layer GRI, 2 ipm rate, (ppi), (%) Resistance Resistance ThicknessAverage Average ASTM D 4833 ASTM D 1004 (mil) Break Elongation (lbs)(lbs) 10 85.5 20.0 192 47.5 20 90.0 15.5 182 42.5 30 85.5 19.5 192 48.5

The differences in the measured physical properties of the threeconstructions having different polymeric barrier layer thicknesses werenot significant.

Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been describedabove for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilledin the art that numerous variations of the details of the presentinvention may be made without departing from the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of making a containment linercomprising: providing first and second felt geotextile layers comprisingpolypropylene fibers, polyester fibers, or a combination thereof; andextruding a first molten polymeric barrier layer material adjacent tothe first felt geotextile layer and applying pressure between the firstmolten polymeric barrier layer material and the first felt geotextilelayer to thereby embed at least a portion of the first polymeric barrierlayer material into the first felt geotextile layer, wherein the firstpolymeric barrier layer extends into the first felt geotextile layer atleast 5 percent of a thickness of the first felt geotextile layer and adistance of from 3 to 30 mil, and wherein a second polymeric barrierlayer is embedded in the second felt geotextile layer, and anintermediate layer comprising a continuous, liquid impermeable polymericlayer is placed between the first and second polymeric barrier layers.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric barrier layer materialis extruded at a temperature of from 175 to 300° C.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the pressure is applied by pressing the at least onefelt geotextile layer and polymeric barrier layer material togetherafter the extrusion step.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the pressingstep is performed by nip rollers.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein thepressing step is performed at a temperature of from 4 to 300° C.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first polymeric barrier layer extendsinto the first felt geotextile layer from 10 to 80 percent of athickness of the first felt geotextile layer.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the first polymeric barrier layer extends into the first feltgeotextile layer from 15 to 50 percent of a thickness of the first feltgeotextile layer.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and secondgeotextile layers further comprise fibers selected from wool, hemp,coconut, jute, nylon, rayon, polytetrafluoroethylene, aromatic polyamidearamid, poly para-phenyleneterephthalamide or a combination thereof. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second felt geotextilelayers comprise needlepunched polypropylene or woven reinforcedneedlepunched polypropylene.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second felt geotextile layers have thicknesses of from 25 to500 mil.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layercomprises polypropylene thermoplastic olefin, linear low-densitypolyethylene, low-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene,high-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutyleneterephthalate, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nylon, polystyrene,polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate, styrene block copolymers or acombination thereof.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediatelayer comprises multiple polymeric layers.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein the intermediate layer comprises reinforcements selected fromthe group consisting of fibers, strings, scrim cloth and combinationsthereof.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer iscoextensive with at least one of the first and second felt geotextilelayers.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first polymeric barrierlayer comprises polypropylene, thermoplastic olefin, linear low-densitypolyethylene, low-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene,high-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutyleneterephthalate, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nylon, polystyrene,polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate, styrene block copolymers or acombination thereof.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein a non-embeddedportion of the first polymeric barrier layer has a thickness of from 2to 60 mils.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the containment liner hasan average tear resistance of at least 42.5 lbs.
 18. The method of claim1, wherein the containment liner has an average break tensile strengthof at least 85.5 ppi.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the containmentliner has an average puncture resistance of at least 182 lbs.